2011 MU theses - Freely available online
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Item Body satisfaction and couple's daily sexual functioning(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2011) Zhaoyang, Ruixue; Zhaoyang, RuixueBody satisfaction has been shown to have an important effect on the nature and quality of people's sexual experiences. However, past research has focused almost exclusively on women, and indeed no study has examined the role of both partners' body satisfaction or the effects of individual's satisfaction with partner's body attractiveness on sexual functioning. Moreover, almost all past studies have relied on cross-sectional self-report data; few have examined the effects of body satisfaction on day-to-day sexual experiences. To address these shortcomings, the current study used data from two daily studies to investigate the impacts of both partners' body satisfaction and satisfaction with partner's body on daily sexual functioning. Results showed a complex picture of effects that were often dependent on multiple factors. Satisfaction with partner's body attractiveness was showed to be a stronger predictor of individual's own sexual functioning than satisfaction of one's own body. In contrast, partner's satisfaction with his or her own body had negative effect on individual's sexual quality. Furthermore, woman's sexual functioning was more likely to be impacted by partner's satisfaction with her body as expected. And finally, couples had more frequent intercourse when both partners were matched on perceived body attractiveness but only individual who was satisfied with one's own body and partner's body experienced the lowest level of negative mood during sex. Theoretical and methodological implications for future research are discussed.Item Shelf stability and quailty of fresh ground pork and pork sausage from pigs fed ethanol co-products(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2011) Evans, Hannah; Evans, HannahThis experiment was conducted to determine the effect of swine diets on subsequent meat quality characteristics and shelf life of ground pork products. Pigs were fed one of 8 different dietary treatments using dietary components common to the swine industry and three different products were made from each pig 1) ground pork, 2) pork sausage and 3) pork sausage with an added rosemary antioxidant. The experiment was set up to determine the effect of the swine diet on the degree of saturation of pork fat. Then the meat and fat were used to make three different products to determine the effect of the processing treatment on the shelf life and quality. The results indicated that diet plays a large role in determining the level of saturation of pork fat, but there are many factors other than the degree of saturation that can impact the quality of ground pork products and lead to product deterioration. Also, the results showed an improvement in shelf life of the products when the antioxidant, rosemary, was added. This research will allow producers and processors to better understand the relationship between the swine diet and meat and fat quality. Also, these results showed that current additives used in swine production, including dried distillers grains with solubles, can be fed without severe negative impacts of product quality.Item The Design and analysis of a HA/PLA pedicle screw for spinal fusion(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2011) Schottler, Jonathan; Schottler, JonathanMetallic pedicle screws have been widely used in the orthopaedic field to treat spinal diseases. Although spinal screws have improved over the last few decades, there is still sometimes a need for a second painful surgery to remove the instrumentation due to late-onset pain or discomfort due to breakage or infection. Polylactic acid has been heavily studied recently and is emerging as a viable absorbing material for bone fixation devices with good biological response; however there have been no optimization studies for its use and practicality as a lumbar pedicle screw. In addition to the lack of pedicle applications for the material, there are no FEA studies analyzing the objective values of simultaneous bending and pull-out of a pedicle screw or a pedicle screw augmented with calcium phosphate bone cement. Finite element analysis, Taguchi method, and an artificial neural network were used as the optimization methodology. Three-dimensional finite element method was used to create an arranged L18 orthogonal array of a model simultaneously applying a bend and pull-out test. These simulations were used to calculate two objective values for analysis. Artificial neural networks were used to estimate an optimum design which had the lowest surface stress in the screw. The obtained design was used for experimental testing to verify computational results and analyze practicality of clinical use. The optimal screw was shown to have a maximum surface stress of 81.83 MPa. The reaction in the CPC was shown to have a surface stress of 43.69 MPa. The screw and CPC stresses are below their yield strengths, which should result in non-failure. However, the biggest concern is rigidity of the device, which was tested experimentally. An unrigid device will prevent bone fusion and will make the product unfeasible.Item Taking Root: The Route of the Broadcast Journalism Curriculum at the Missouri School of Journalism(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2011) Park, Youn-Joo; Park, Youn-JooWhen broadcasting emerged as a new field, it ushered in a period of exploration for industry professionals as well as journalism educators. Such was the backdrop for the Missouri School of Journalism in the 1930s when journalism educators sought to incorporate broadcast journalism into the print curriculum. The proponents of the project faced a tough journey. To legitimize education for radio and then television, they needed the expertise of the industry and the approval of the university, both of which had different goals. This study examines the role that educators at Missouri assumed in persuading these two larger institutions of the creation and development of a broadcast journalism curriculum, from 1936 to 1971. Findings are evaluated using the theory of sociological institutionalism. Theoretical significance is enriched by the introduction of the parabolic model to explain how the broadcast journalism educators presented their case for the incorporation of a new medium and why their rhetoric worked.Item Spatial Analysis of Organic Carbon and Nitrogen Sedimentation in Four Northern Missouri Reservoirs: Implications for Optimal Sampling(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2011) Pittman, Brady A.; Pittman, Brady A.Recent research suggests that the rate of sediment carbon storage of small agricultural impoundments alone may be of the same order-of-magnitude as that of the world's oceans. This estimate, and the fact that reservoirs continue to steadily increase in number, affirm the possibility that the role of such waters in the carbon budget has not received adequate attention. However, scaling up the impact of these small size-class ([less than or equal to] 1 km2 ) reservoirs requires reliable estimates of OC burial rates in individual water bodies. Accomplishing this necessitates understanding the nature of spatial distribution of organic carbon (OC) sedimentation. This study used approximately 30-40 sediment cores per reservoir (n=4), collected in a uniform random distribution; an average of 2.7 samples per hectare. Sediment OC values ranged from 0.7 to 7.9% by dry weight in the four reservoirs, and sediment nitrogen (N) from 0.08 to 0.88% (n =136). Universal kriging analysis was performed using the samples from the surfical (top 5 cm) sediment using ArcGIS's Geostatistical Analyst. Analysis revealed a gradient of increasing sediment OC and N concentrations from in-flow to dam. A similar analysis of OC/N ratios in the surficial sediment showed in the majority of cases that the influence of allochthonous inputs became less important the further the sample location was from primary and secondary inflows. Furthermore, the analysis showed that the majority of the predicted sediment surface area had a ratio of less than 10, signaling significant autochonous influence.